Ericsson testing 5G network up to 50x faster than 4G

The future of wireless is being tested now, and Ericsson has a big hand in it. The company is currently testing next-generation 5G technology, which will transfer speeds up to 5 gigabits per second. If you’re curious how that stacks up, it’s up to 50-times faster than what we experience now.

Ericsson is projecting that by 2019, 85% of North American mobile plans will be LTE. They note that it puts North America in good stead to receive the new tech, which they don’t think will hit the ground until 2020. Other markets like Japan and South Korea are also prime for 5G data, with South Korea having the highest concentration to 4G LTE saturation, roughly 50%.

The new technology won’t simply give you awesome data transfer on your smartphones and tablets, though. The uber-fast data transmission will also help machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. That means 5G, as it’s being tested, could end up powering everything in our connected lives. Traffic lights, connected cars, and even health wearables may all get a better real-time awareness and capability.

In addition to 4G LTE becoming nearly ubiquitous, there will be bandwidth demands. Ericsson thinks that by 2019, our demand for bandwidth will grow ten-fold. That comes with 3-4 times the transmissions of M2M devices, too.